Betting With, and Against, Booth in the Whitmore Stakes

A well-balanced field of nine will jaunt six panels on the Oaklawn Park surface in Saturday’s $250,000 Whitmore S. (G3). The Steve Asmussen-trained #4 Booth (3-1) is the morning-line choice in the dash coming off of a huge score in the Commodore S. on the oval last time out when earning a hefty 105 Brisnet Speed figure. By Mitole, the four-year-old has not been especially consistent in his career leading up to Saturday, but if the Kentucky-bred colt repeats his latest performance, then he will be tough to upend with Erik Asmussen retaining the mount. 

Booth – With

• $4 trifecta 4 with 1,8 with 1,2,3,7,8 ($32)
• 20-cent superfecta key 4 with 1,2,3,7,8 ($12)

Booth – Against

• $12 win and place #8 Closethegame Sugar ($24)
• $1 trifecta key 8 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($20) 

For those looking outside of the favorite, numerous contenders are viable options in the dash. #8 Closethegame Sugar (9-2) didn’t fire his best shot at Churchill Downs to conclude his excellent 2024 campaign, but the Adam Rice trainee is more than capable of running well off the bench and is a prime player while making his local debut. The multiple stakes winner finished second in the Bing Crosby S. (G1) at Del Mar in his penultimate try last season, and the son of Girvin has an advantageous post today with all of the pace drawn to his inside. I expect Julein Leparoux to have the lightly raced sort poised to strike at the top of the lane. 

#1 Tejano Twist (7-2) is a consistently good late runner who has compiled a healthy 10-4-5-1 mark at Oaklawn in his career. Trained by Chris Hartman, the six-year-old son of Practical Joke missed by a nose when second in the contest in 2024 and can surely win the race with his best performance. The chestnut bagged the King Cotton S. here in his 2025 unveiling and will be making one run in the lane beneath Tyler Bacon. 

Multiple stakes winner #2 Happy Is A Choice (4-1), Fall Highweight star #3 Giant Mischief (5-1), and #7 Miles Ahead (8-1), who has won the last two editions of the Thanksgiving Classic S. at Fair Grounds, all have exotics appeal in the deep dash.